Collection box



- March 13, 1928. 1,662,432 1 v. G. MATR-E COLLECTION BOX Filed Jan. 31, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 March 13, 1928.

V. G. MATRE COLLECTION BOX Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES VICTOR G. MATRE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COLLECTION BOX.

Application filed January 31, 1925. Serial No. (5,142.

My invention relates to collection boxes, such as are usually installed in the vestibules of churches (and often times in public buildings) for the receiving of aims for the church or for some charitable undertaking. To facilitate emptying these collection boxes it is desirable that they be provided with a coin receptacle that can be removed from the mounting member of the device for the purpose of dumping the coins or for carrying the coins to some adjacent coin receptacle. Then the coin receptacle is in position on the mounting member it is of course desirable to have a locking mechanism for locking the receptacle to the mounting member against unauthorized removal.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a collection box having a new and improved construction of mounting member and coin receptacle, and a new and improved design of lock mechanism for locking the two together.

It is, of course, also desirable to have a releasable or removable closure element for the coin receptacle for closing the same except when the receptacle is removed for the purpose of removing the coins. This closure element should be irreleasable or irremovable from the coin receptacle when the latter is in position on the mounting member.

It is a further object of my invention to provide improved lock mechanism which, in addition to locking the coin receptacle to the mounting member, will lock the cover to the coin receptacle.

It is desirable that the pin tumbler, or whatever type of lock is employed, be readily accessible for easy operation, but it is also desirable that the lock be normally concealed, both from the standpoint of addi tional protection and to remove the obtrusive appearance of a look. It is therefore a further object of my invention to provide improved means for concealing the lock.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of my invention, this description being accompanied by the attached drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the present collection box;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Figure 4., and showing the coin receptacle and the locking cover in elevated positions, such as they would assume in the assembly of the device;

Figure is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 4, with ure 1.

The three main elements comprising the present collection box are the mounting member 7, the coin receptacle 8, and the removable cover 9. The mounting member consists of an open top casing which isstationarily mounted on the wall or any other suitable I supporting surface. This casing has a false bottom, between which and the real bottom is housed the locking apparatus. The coin receptacle slips down into the open top of this casing, and the cover 9 closes over the top'of the coin receptacle and the top of the casing. The locking function is performed by locking rods which depend from thiscover and pass down through slots in the bottom of the coin receptacle and through slots in the false bottom of the casing for effecting locking engagement with the lock mechanism below the false bottom.

Referring now to the details of construc tion of the supporting casingit will be ob served from Figure 1 that it comprises a back wall 11 which extends above the top of the coin receptacle and cover to form an ornamental tablet 12 on which may be inscribed the object of the charity, or which may receive a card on which this is printed. Two lugs or clip members project from the top of the cover 9 for holding such a card. The tablet may be surmounted by a cross 13 if desired. The edge of this tablet may be finished by an edging strip of metal 12, which can also form a card retaining member for holding the edges of a card.

In the plane of the coin receptacle the back wall or plate 11 maybe IG-QllfOTCBCl by a plate 14, the angle bolts 15, or such other fastening means as may be employed, passing through these two plates. The side and front walls of the casing 7 consist of metal panels or plates 17 and 18 which are joined together at the front corners of the casing by angles 19. j The rear corners may be reenforced by vertical strips 20 secured to the side panels (Figure 2-). The bottom wall 21 is in the form of a pan having upwardly extending marginal flanges 22 which are screwed, riveted, or otherwise secured to the inner sides of the plates 14, 17 and 18. The

bottom strips 24 are extended across the front and side walls of the casing to finish and re-enforce the bottom edges, these strips being screwed or riveted to the front and side panels.

Spaced from the actual bottom 21 of this casing is a false bottom 26. This false bottom is supported on spacing posts 2? which are disposed in the corners of the casing. The false bottom is secured to the tops of these spacing posts by screws 28, reduced ends 29 on the bottoms of these posts passing through holes in the real bottom 21. These reduced ends are riveted over or are welded to the bottom of the box to prevent any possibility of loosening the spacing posts 27 from the under side of the box.

Referring now to the details of the coin receptacle 8, which fits down into the open top of the casing 7, this receptacle comprises the two side walls 31, the front 'all 312 and the rear wall 34. The bottom of the receptacle consists of a sheet metal pan 35 having flanged sides which are riveted to the four walls of the receptacle. 1 preferably make the side walls 31 and the front wall 32 of a single plate having its end riveted to flanges turned from the ends of the rear plate Zl-xl.

It will be observed from Figure f that the rear wall 34 of the coin receptacle. is spaced from the rear wall of the supporting casing to accommodate the heads of. the anchoring bolts 15. \Vhen it is desired to remove the collection box from the wall, the removal of the coin receptacle will afford immediat: access to the heads of these anchoring bolts, but when the coin receptacle and cover are in locked position there is no possible way of gaining access to these bolts. An angle member 36, secured to the upper rear edge of the coin receptacle. closes the top of this space. To facilitate lifting the coin receptacle from the top of the supporting casing there are provided inner handles 37 at the top of the receptacle in the form of short. angle bars riveted to the inner side walls of the coin receptacle (Figures .2 and 3).

To insure the proper replacing of the coin receptacle, short; dowel pins 38 are extended down from the bottom of the receptacle for fitting in openings 39 in the false bottom 26. The coin receptacle has slots 41 (Figure 3) in its bottom wall 35 which must align with slots -12 in the false bottom 26 for receiving the locking bars. The presence of the dowel pins 38 prevents the coin receptacle from twisting or turning in the casing in such a manner as might jam the lock mechanism and prevent the easy removal of the coin ret-eptarlc.

The cover 9 is preferably in the form of a casting having :1 depending flange 43 across the front and along the side edges, this flange dropping down along the outside walls of the casing T. The two angle bars 19 which finish the front corners of the casing are preferably cut short of the top wall of the casing to accommodate this flange 4: As shown in Figure 2, money slots ll having depending flanges -f5 are formed in the cover. To prevent the insertion of an instrument down through these money slots and the removal of money in this manner, I provide a tilting battle plate l6 which is pivoted centrally on a pivot stud -l-T so that the two ends are tiltably supported below the slots if. It pivot; pin is. supported between the baflle plate and a bottom plate scrurcd thereto, is passed through an eve :31 in the end of the pivot stud, this stud projecting through a slot 52 cut in the tilting baflle.

The two locking bars iiii fiil depend from this cover at points adjacent the side walls, as shown in Figure 5 As one expedient for fastening these bars to the cover, a subplate o-t may be riveted to the under side of the cover, this subplatc having apertures receiving the shanlt's of the locking bars. The heads 55 of the bars engage on the top side of the subplate and may be arranged to lie in recesses in the under side of the cover. Nuts 56 screwing over the threaded ends of these bars rigidly secure the bars to the subplate and cover.

The lower ends of the locking bars are reduced in width to pass through the aligned slots alll2 in the receptacle and l'alsc bottom, these reduced ends 58 havin vertical slots 55} which form locking shoulders for co-acting with reciprocating locliing bolts f' ltil'. These locking bolts are guided in U-shaped hangers ($13 riveted to the under side of the false bottom it The inner ends of the lorlting bolts have pivotal connection with pins (ill projecting from the rear end of the rotatable plug (it of a pin tumbler loch (to. The locking bolts tilill have sullirlcllt. vertical pla v in the guide hanger: (3: to ;uromniodaie this pivotal movement of their inner ends. 'lhese forking bolts have .-uitable shoulders Tl) which are adapted to abut the sides of the guide hangers: oz to limit the throw of the bolts. whereby the lock barrel is prevented from rotating more than approximately .180. The pin tumbler ltlt'l (J: is housed in a casing whit-h is sct'tll't-tl to the under side of the false bottom 2f; through a bracltet (iii.

The key slot (37 is accessible from the front of the device through an opening iii in the front panel 18. The front ll'tll) .Zlextending across the bottom of the supporting casing is also notched out substantially coincident with this opening. as indicated at of This opening is normally covered bv a front ornament 71. This ornament may lit of any desired configuration, but is amn'opriately llfl loo

iii

in the form of a cross. At the'center of the converging arms of the cross is a small ornamental disc 72, which has every appearance of constituting a part of the design of the cross. This disc has a. shank 73 which passes through an opening in the cross and which plays in a vertical slot 74 cut in the front panel 18 of the main casing. A nut 75 screws over the threaded rear end of this shank, to enable the cross to be firmly clamped to the casing in 'aised or lowered position. The rear end of the shank may be headed over as indicated at 76, to prevent the disc and screw 73 from being withdrawn. The base portion of the cross is provided with a rectangular block 77 which is adapted to slide down into the rectangular opening 69 in the strap 24, that portion of the base normally lying below the upper edge of the strap being set forwardly to pass down over and conceal the edges of the opening 69. Thus, the end of the lock barrel and the key hole slot 67 are effectively concealed. \Vith the disc 72 screwed up tight this cross will have no play or movement to indicate that it is movable. By merely loosening the disc 72, however, the cross can he slid upwardly in the slot T-l to expose the key hole slot 67. The cross may be held in this eleated position. by tightening the disc 72.

The rotation of the key in the lock barrel 65 withdraws the two locking bolts 6161 from the slotted ends of the locking bars 58-53, whereupon the covering 9 may be lifted off of the casing, and the coin receptacle removed by lifting out of the top of the casing (as shown in Figure 2). The replacing of the coin receptacle and cover are mere ly a reversal of these steps. If desired, all of the exposed surfaces of the device may be constructed of brass and burnished to give the device a neat appearance.

While my invention has been devised primarily as an alms box, it will be understood that the device in its entirety, or certain feat-ures thereof, has extensive application to strong boxes, wall safes, etc. For example, by omitting the coin slots 44, baffle 46 and cross 13, and making such other minor changes as the requirements of the mounting or installation entail, the device can be utiliZed as a strong box or wall box for use in homes, apartments and hotel rooms for the safe-keeping of currency, jewelry, etc. For this use the receptacle 8 could be sheathed in asbestos, or the casing 7 could be lined with asbestos for making the device fireproof.

I do not intend to be limited to the particular detail herein shown and described except as they are defined in' the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a coin box, the combination of a supporting casing, a coin receptacle removable from the top of said casing, a cover for said coin receptacle, and lock mechanism housed below said coin receptacle for locking said receptacle and said cover to said supporting casing.

2. Ina coin'box, the combination ofa sup porting casing having an open top, a coin receptacle removable through the top of said casing, a cover for said casing, a lock menu ber. extending from said cover, and lock mechanism disposed below said coin receptacle for engaging with said lock member.

3. In a coin box, the combination of a supporting casing, a coin receptacle removable from the top of said casing, a cover for said casing, lock mechanism supported by said casing below said coin receptacle, and a locking bar extending from said cover and arranged to co-operate with said lock mecha- 'removably supported in said casing, above said lock mechanism, a cover member for closing said casing, and a locking bar extending from said cover member through said coin receptacle and co-operatively engaging with said lock mechanism.

6. In a coin box, the combination of a supporting casing having a false bottom therein, lock mechanism supported below said false bottom, a coin receptacle removably supported in said casing above said false bottom, a cover for said casing, and a locking bar extending from said cover through apertures in said coin receptacle and in said false bottom for efiecting locking engage ment with said lock mechanism.

7. In a coin box, the combination of a supporting casing open at the top, a false bot-- tom in said casing, guides depending from said false bottom, a pair of locking bolts reciprocably supported in said guides, a lock for reciprocating said bolts, a coin receptacle supported in said casing above said false bottom, a cover for closing the top of said casing and said coin receptacle, and a pair of locking bars secured to said cover and passing down through slots in the bottom of said coin receptacle andin said false bottom, said locking bars having locking shoulders adapted to co-operate with said locking bolts.

8. In a box for retaining valuables, the

combination of a supporting casing, a receptacle removable from the top of said casmg, a locking member projecting from the bottom of said receptacle and lock mechanism between the bottom of said receptacle and the bottom of said casing for engaging said lock member.

9. In a coin box, the combination of a supporting owing having a false bottom, a coin receptacle receivable in said casing, a cover for closing said receptacle, a locking bar projecting from said cover through openings in the bottom of said reeeplacla and in Fflld false bottom, lock Jl'llitlllllllslll below said false bottom for engaging Mild locking bar, and a guide pin projecting from said receptacle engaging in a guide opening in aid false bottom.

In witness whereof I hereumo subscribe in name this 31st day oi. December, 1924. 

